


Love Forever, Gred and Forge

by phoenixquest



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Death, Feels, Gen, Grieving, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-15 11:57:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1304035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenixquest/pseuds/phoenixquest
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>George is going through his room shortly after the war is over and finds an old letter he wrote with his brother. Ginny comes in to see what's wrong.</p><p>Warning: Crying. Tears everywhere. Obviously massive spoilers for the series. So sad I hate myself for writing it.</p><p>Also posted on DeviantArt under the same username.</p><p>Harry Potter series belongs to JK Rowling, not me.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Forever, Gred and Forge

_“Dammit_ , Fred!” George howled. “How could you do this to me? To your family? To _your own brother_?”

George crumpled up the parchment he held in his hands and threw it against the door, tears streaming down his face once again. He wasn’t nearly satisfied enough by the small “pah” the paper ball made against the door to his - only his, now – bedroom. The tears only made him angrier. George Weasley didn’t _cry_ , for Merlin’s sake! And it was all his horrible, selfish brother’s fault!

George seized a quill off Fred’s desk. No ordinary quill, mind. This was a new development of his and Fred’s, one they were hoping to put in the shop when they could return.

 _What good is returning,_ George thought bitterly, _when it’s only me now?_

Openly weeping now, George snapped the quill in half and threw it to the floor, taking care to tread on it as he walked swiftly to the other side of the room. That stupid letter. How could Fred have left him with _that_ as a reminder?

“Why, Fred?” George yelled, looking skyward. “Why did you leave me? What the hell is wrong with you?!” Almost without realizing it George had grabbed the blanket off Fred’s bed and threw it across the room. It made a slightly more satisfying “thump” than the parchment had. The stupid parchment with the stupid letter that he never should have agreed to write.

Feeling a savage pleasure with the physical effort involved with stripping Fred’s bed, George next flung the sheets away, revealing a bare mattress. The pillows joined the “thumps” against the wall with the rest of the bedding. George lifted the mattress up and stood it against the wall.

“It’s _my_ room now, Fred. I don’t have to make room for your things anymore, you hear me? All this space is _mine_!” George growled, half sobbing. There was a small knock at the door. “Go away!” George yelled. “Leave me alone!”

The door opened anyway, and his little sister quietly entered the room, shutting the door back behind her. George turned swiftly away from her, hiding his face.

“George,” Ginny said simply, softly. She stood just inside the door, looking around the room.

“I told you to leave me alone,” George choked out, still looking out the window opposite the door.

“I never listen,” Ginny retorted. “You should know that by now.”

“I don’t know anything about anyone,” George growled again, his tears ebbing slightly. Ginny walked over to her brother, throwing her arms around him. “Wha…Ginny, let go!” George insisted, trying to pry his sister off him. Her grip was surprisingly strong.

“You don’t have to hide from everyone, George,” Ginny implored him. She pulled away from him just enough to look up at his face. Her heart twisted to see his red-rimmed eyes, so full of misery and pain. “We love you.”

“It’s not the same,” George whispered. His anger had left him, and he felt dead and broken again.

“I know.”

“Gin…I don’t know what to do without him.”

“I know. Me, either. But you can’t go to pieces. Fred,” Ginny gulped back her own tears – saying his name was difficult – “wouldn’t have wanted you to waste away the rest of your life.”

“Fred would have understood,” George said, his tone bitter again.

“Fred would have kicked your arse for falling apart like this, and you know it.”

“Who the hell knows what Fred _would have done_? He’s not here anymore to find out, Ginny, in case you missed that!” George’s anger had returned.

“Don’t you pull this on me, George! You’re being a right git and I’ll be happy to kick your arse _for_ Fred!”

“Now you’re threatening me?” Angry and incredulous.

“You better believe it.” 

George pulled away from Ginny’s grip and looked for his wand. “I’d think twice about that.” George patted his pockets, wondering where he’d left his wand. It was unusual for it not to be on him. After frantically looking around for a few moments, he glanced over and saw his sister pointing his own wand at him. “What the hell d’you think you’re doing, Gin?”

“If you think for one second that I don’t miss Fred every bit as much as everyone else, and wish more than anything in the world that I could just bring him back, then you’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever set eyes on.” Ginny’s eyes were filled with tears now, and that sight more than anything else calmed George this time.

“I…I’m sorry, Ginny,” he said softly. “I know.” He took the step over to her and hugged her this time. When they pulled apart, she handed George his wand back and wiped her eyes.

“Do you need any help?” Ginny asked, glancing at the empty space the bed had been in before. George followed her gaze.

“No. I’m going to put it back.”

“Will it be easier that way?”

“I don’t know.”

“Shall I…just go?”

“You can stay, if you like,” George offered, motioning toward his own bed for her to sit on.

As Ginny headed toward the bed, she noticed the ball of parchment on the floor and bent to pick it up.

“What’s this?” she asked, beginning to smooth it back out.

“Leave that,” George said harshly, striding across the room to take it from her. She hid it quickly.

“What is it?” Ginny asked again.

“Nothing, give it here,” George growled, annoyed. He didn’t want anyone else reading it. It was bad enough he’d had to. Ginny stepped out of George’s reach and perched on the corner of his bed before completely smoothing the parchment back out. George sat down next to his sister, unwilling to let her read it alone. 

_Dear family,_

_If you’re reading this, it’s because we’ve bit it._

_George, that’s a bit harsh, shouldn’t we be nicer about it?_

_Oh go on then, Fred._

_Right. Well, we’re not here anymore, at any rate. We’re starting out in this war, and we don’t know what’s going to happen –_

_Harry’s going to kill that stupid git, Moldy, that’s what’s going to happen!_

_Ok, but until then –_

_We’re going to keep inventing –_

_George, will you shut up?_

_Sorry Fred._

_Until then, we don’t know what might happen to us, so we –_

_A-hem!_

_I, then, you happy? I thought it would be a good idea to write this._

_For posterity._

_Of course._

_First, we wanted to have it known that all our possessions, including the joke shop and everything in it, are to be Ron’s._

_We know he won’t be able to hand it by himself, the git -_

_So we want Ginny to help him with that._

_On a more serious note, we want to let everyone know that whatever happened to us, it didn’t happen without a fight. We know the risks we’re taking, and we think it’s worth it. Don’t be sad for us. Whatever happens, we’re together, and so are the rest of you._

At this point, Ginny heard George sobbing behind her again. Tears were streaming down her own face as well, and she leaned back into him before she continued reading.

_We hope you are, anyway. We can take care of each other, but we know you’re all shite without us, so you’d better all be together._

_Can’t function without the cream of the crop, eh, George?_

_Right._

_Really, though. Don’t be sad for us. We went together, and we know you can handle it. If this has happened before the End, then Harry, we’re with you, mate. Go kick some dark lord arse!_

_We didn’t go easily, either. Fred was fighting like mad, took a good few out with him!_

_George, you don’t even know what you’re talking about._

_Fair point._

_We went out fighting, though. I can guarantee that._

_Oh, and Harry, it isn’t your fault. Damn git, taking all the credit all the time. When we’re gone, it’s because we did it well. Don’t you go stealing our glory, now._

_Well said, George. Most importantly, we love you all, and we know you all loved us. So don’t worry about that. Good luck with the joke shop Ron, and keep him in line, Gin. Just because we’re not there doesn’t mean you shouldn’t live your lives. We died fighting for your world to be happier and easier, so live in it. Don’t waste it._

_Well said, Fred._

_I believe that’s all?_

_I think you’re right._

_Right then._

_Love forever, Gred and Forge_

Ginny couldn’t stop the constant tears streaming from her face now. She turned to George and threw her arms around him.

They sat on the bed crying for what seemed like hours before George finally spoke up.

“Didn’t even occur to us that only one of us would go, did it?” he said thickly.

“It wouldn’t. You do…did…everything together.”

“Not everything,” George’s bitter voice broke. “I wasn’t there. In the end.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered.”

“I might’ve saved him.”

“Harry told me what happened,” Ginny sniffled, trying to be gentle with her words. “There was just…an explosion. There’s nothing you could have done.”

“You don’t know that, Ginny! You weren’t there, either. If I had been, I could’ve…moved him out of the way or something.”

“Do you really think, for even a second, that Percy and Ron, and even Harry or Hermione, would have hesitated to move him, to help him? Do you really think any of them would have done less than everything they had to help? There wasn’t any _time_.”

“They didn’t love him like I did!” George shouted. “He was half of me, Ginny!”

“I know,” Ginny whispered, looking away. “I know.” They both looked back at the parchment for a time, not sure what else to say.

“George,” Ginny finally broke the silence with her gentle voice. “Look.” She pointed to words ‘don’t waste it’. “This is what he wanted, George. He wanted you to be happy, to not waste your life.”

“No!” George said angrily. “ _We_ wanted _you_ lot to not waste your lives worrying about _us_. _We_ were supposed to be _together_ , dammit! And he _left_ me!” George threw a punch at the pillow on the bed, angry all over again at Fred.

“He _fought for you_ , George. He fought for all of us. He wanted a safer world for us. We all did. Can you imagine how pleased he’d be that it happened? That what he did was worth it? That it wasn’t in vain?”

“I’m missing half myself, Gin. I don’t know what to do with that.”

“You take one day at a time,” Ginny said softly. “You surround yourself with your family who loves you, and you go one day at a time. You do as this letter said and keep that joke shop running, and you let Ron help you. You live,” she finished simply.

“I’m not used to being alone.”

“You’re not alone. We’re all here.”

George paused for a few moments. “Will you sleep here with me tonight? In Fred’s bed?” 

Ginny swallowed. She wanted to do what it took to help her brother, but she wasn’t sure she could handle that. Suddenly, the bed fell back down from its place against the wall, thudding back onto the floor in the place it had been to start. Ginny giggled through her tears.

“I think Fred’s trying to tell me yes,” she mused. Fred’s voice was sudden and strong in her mind.

“Do it for him, Gin. I love you both very much. I’ll be with you.” Startled, she looked at George, and saw the same expression looking back at her. 

“Did you hear that?” they asked together, then began to laugh.

Ginny righted the bed and together they put the sheets back on and made it so she could sleep in it.

“Love you, George,” Ginny whispered after they’d turned out the lights.

“Love you, Gin,” George whispered back.

Fred smiled at the scene he watched. They would be all right. They all would.


End file.
